Students of Classes VIII to XII have a fresh reason to pick up their sketch pens. The Central Board of Secondary Education, together with the Central Vigilance Commission, has thrown open the CBSE-CVC Poster Making Competition 2026. Schools will run it in-house between 22 September 2026 and 1 October 2026, and only three best posters per school move ahead to the national round.
The theme is fixed. Every poster must speak to “सत्यनिष्ठा से समृद्धि” (“Probity for Prosperity”). The contest is being held just before Vigilance Awareness Week 2026, which runs from 26 October to 1 November 2026.
CBSE-CVC Poster Making Competition 2026: what students must do
Schools will conduct the competition during school hours, under teacher supervision, on any day between 22 September and 1 October 2026. There’s no separate student registration; participation runs through your own school.
Here are the poster rules to follow closely:
- Eligibility: Students of Classes VIII to XII.
- Size: A2 sheet, landscape orientation.
- Language: Hindi or English.
- File format: PDF, JPG or PNG, with each entry capped at 2MB.
- Plagiarism: Any copying leads to immediate disqualification.
Each entry must carry the details listed in Annexure A: topic, student name, class, father’s/mother’s/guardian’s name, mobile number, email address, school name and address, and school contact details.
Key dates and upload window
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Competition and evaluation at school level | 22 September to 1 October 2026 |
| Awareness webinar (11:30 AM) | 25 September 2026 |
| Upload link goes live on CBSE website | 25 September 2026 |
| Schools upload 3 best entries | 25 September to 1 October 2026, by 5:00 PM on 1 October |
Schools will find the upload link on www.cbseacademic.nic.in from 25 September 2026. The board is also holding a webinar on 25 September 2026 at 11:30 AM to spread the word and push wider participation. You can join it here: https://youtube.com/live/fBf1ZbxQgkw?feature=share.
How entries will be judged and honoured
Schools do the first round themselves and shortlist three entries. After that, a team of Art and Language experts at CBSE evaluates everything received and picks the best 25 in order of merit. The top ten at national level will be honoured during Vigilance Awareness Week 2026, and all 25 best posters go on display at a VAW 2026 exhibition.
Marking follows the rubric in Annexure B, out of a maximum of 16. Posters are scored on four counts: originality and creativity, expression and organisation, aesthetic and visual impact, and message and relevance to the theme. Each carries up to 4 marks. The circular puts weight on original ideas and intellectual honesty, and warns that plagiarism at any stage means disqualification.
For any query, schools can call 011-24050620 during office hours or write to cbseacad.mforms@cbseshiksha.in. The evaluators’ decision on selection is final.